It truly is one of the most under-used mediums (still) in 2012 by modern day bloggers like you and me.

Why is that?

Answer: It’s scary to unmask yourself on video as a blogger.

The thing is, if you can get past that, you’re in for great things. Video is a great way to expand you audience, introduce your readers to new kinds of material, and generally build your confidence when talking to people.

It’s true, more and more people are searching for things in video format and their first stop is Youtube.

That’s because many people learn better via video than any other method (I only know this because I surveyed my past eCourse participants from Teach Yourself Websites).

Video is also getting much easier to make. Even if you look at Youtube again, when you goto upload a video you can actually activate your web cam straight from there and start talking.

It then uploads the video directly there and you didn’t even have to own a fancy bit of software to get it done.

The massive upsurge in video is also largely in part to smart phone much better quality video recording capabilities than before.

If you want to record a video it’s as simple as switching on your phone.

Anyone can do it, and as bloggers, we should.

It’s all part of being everywhere online which has been proven time and time again the best way to build your blog’s brand.

Some stories are also much more appropriate to be told via video. This is especially the case when the content is “How-To” in nature.

At lot of the video screencasts that I film for Teach Yourself Websites are “How-To” style screencasts showing people how to do things in WordPress.

This content would be much more time consuming for me to create if I was typing it all out and using screenshots.

Now that I’ve been screencasting for a while and am getting much more comfortable with it, I thought I would come on here and share some of the secrets I’ve discovered to creating a screencast that your audience will love.

My Top 4 Tips For Creating An Awesome Video Screencast

Of course, there’s a lot of great tips out there for creating screencasts, but these are just a few important ones that I’ve discovered really make a measurable difference:

1. Use quality screencasting software

Have you ever watched a screencast online where the guy filming it is using outdated software from the 90’s?

It’s almost impossible to see, let alone get anything out of it.

Using a quality screencasting program like Camtasia by Techsmith will enable you to create fantastic quality screencasts without the fuss.

Granted it’s not the cheapest software out there, but if you’ll be making a few of these screencasts it’s an investment in technology that you won’t regret.

2. Keep It Short And Speak Clearly

Keeping your viewer’s attention is critical in a screencast and it’s not an easy thing to do.

It’s very easy to get sidetracked while filming and start talking about every little detail.

The key is to write an outline for the screencast and keep it on topic. And unless it’s a big training session that can’t be condensed, you should also be able to convey whatever it is you’re trying to cover within 10 minutes or less.

The longer the video, the more people you’ll lose.

3. Make It Actionable

Regardless whether you’re doing a top 10 tips style screencast video or you’re filming a serious “How-To” video, you need to make sure your viewer gets something out of it.

They are spending their valuable time watching your video, you should repay that generosity of time as best you can.

I always make sure that my videos cover 1 thing incredibly well and that the viewer gets something out of it that they can go away and do themselves.

4. If You’re Not Making It Public, Host It Somewhere Good

Lastly, a quick word about hosting.

Most people making videos these days will place it onto a free video host like Youtube, which is absolutely fine.

Youtube has some of the best hosting and replication capabilities in the world when it comes to video and the access to their humongous audience is a bonus.

But if you’re like me and don’t want your videos to be public you should think hard about which video host you’re going to use.

I wrote a very detailed guest post on FamousBloggers recently about this exact topic of choosing video hosting. So instead of repeating myself, just go and check it out there.

The Bottom Line

Screencasts, and video in general, make great content for blogs.

You might have some barriers to entry including yourself. It took me years to give video a go and it’s something that I kick myself for every day.

You don’t have to start a whole website like me doing video screencasts to make it worth your while.

If you get into doing video now, you’ll soon become a lot more comfortable with it. Yes, it’s true that you first few videos might suck, but if they’re really that bad, just scrap them and try another one.

It’s never too late to take advantage of video and video screencasts for your blog. It’s a great medium to get your visitors interested in your content and a fantastic was to reach new and wonderful audiences.

If you are interested to see how I created my video tutorials membership area on my site Teach Yourself Websites, I did a bit of a “behind the scenes” type thing to show exactly how I am making these videos. I’m sure you’ll find it interesting. Click here to see it.

Are you using video on your blog? If so, has it been worthwhile for you?

And for those that aren’t using video yet on their blogs, what is holding you back? Just confidence or is it something more?

My favorite software for doing screencasts is Camtasia Studio pro and combine it with a professional USB mic so your audio is crystal clear and deep. One thing I have issues with still is video recording myself, I don’t know how to get audio to sound better on a camcorder, if I am recording myself holding a product and talking about it, how do I have separate mic for audio and just use camcorder for video. I am looking at camcorders that accept external mic’s, but I have no experience with this type of stuff at the moment.

Leave a Comment:

Hey Josh nice tips. Investing in a good screencast software is a MUST. Coz, the software can really give you a helping hand with lots of stuff and video editing. I use Screencastomatic premium and so far happy with it

Leave a Comment:

This is what i am searching since years, But with Just 1 article you saved me, Really i am very thankfull to you bro, Keep Rocking. I Became a Regular Reader to your Blog From now. This Blog Very helpfull to many people, Once again thanks a Lot You Made me Smile today

Hi, I'm Zac Johnson and I'm the guy behind BloggingTips.com. I first started making money online back in 1995, but when I launched my blog at ZacJohnson.com in 2007, that's when I realized the true power and potential of blogging. It's now my mission to provide you with the best resources and help you find more success with your blog. Heck, if you have the passion and work ethic you might even end up with your own little blogging empire!